【According to the Literary World】
Author: Xu Xiaobin
This year is the 100th birthday of Lin Jinlan.
I remember it was April 10, 2009. The first thing I heard from Liu Heng was that Mr. Lin was critically ill. I immediately called Liu Qingbang and agreed to visit Tongren Hospital at 2:00 pm on the 12th, but it was around 4:50 pm on the 11th. , called Mr. Lin’s daughter, Lin Bugu, to ask about the situation. At that time, Bugu’s voice was hurried: “I’ve already left, I’m getting dressed…”
Lin Jinlan and Xu Xiaobin, taken in Vietnam in 2000.
I can hardly hear the words behind. Trembling, he put down the phone and remained in a daze until five o’clock, then tremblingly picked up the phone again, and told Qingbang the sad news. Qingbang then notified the friends around him.
It’s been a long time, I can’t believe this is true – because I have reported critical illness many times before, especially in those few years, Mr. Lin would be hospitalized almost every spring. And every time, he survived with his extremely tenacious vitality. I can’t believe it, but this time Mr. Lin really left us juniors who often get together with him, and went on the road alone!
Lin Jinlan has the reputation of “short story master” and was admired by us young writers at that time. The first time I traveled with him was to Zhangjiajie in 1986. At that time, “Beijing Literature” selected several popular young writers: Sha Qing, Zhang Xiaosong, Lu Dongzhi, Li Gongda… I was published in “Beijing Literature” in 1985 Published the novella “Investigation of a Mental Patient”, which had some influence, so it was honored to be selected. That trip was really wonderful. I listened to Mr. Lin talk about the life of Master Hongyi Li Shutong along the way. Listening to Mr. Lin talking about the past and the present is really a kind of enjoyment, and everyone is fascinated. Watching Elder Lin walking is even more amazing: I still clearly remember the scene of Elder Lin walking like flying in the Golden Whip Creek in Zhangjiajie—as if it was just yesterday. Later, I saw his back walking like flying countless times – because we young people were all left behind him. Zhang Xiaosong said out of breath: “I really convinced Mr. Lin, the 2985 steps seem to be up without much effort!”
In 2000, I went to Vietnam with Mr. Lin, and once again learned how fast he walked. Every time he praised his walking, his eyes shone like a child’s naughty light, and he said quite proudly: “Wang Zengqi has read thousands of books, and I have traveled thousands of miles!” Unclear stories, told with a few glasses of wine, full of wit and wit, will definitely be a great enjoyment for the listeners.
So he thought he was in good health, but he said that he had a heart problem when he was around forty and was sentenced by a doctor. He smiled again and said, “Actually, you can’t believe what the doctor said. Do you think I’m living a good life now?” Whenever I eat, watching him sip his wine and eat his vegetables, it’s so beautiful. Who would have thought that he was sentenced by a doctor decades ago? His wine can’t be stopped no matter what, anyone who has been to his house can see the wine bottles on the wall, which is like an exhibition of arts and crafts. Some of the wine bottles had unimaginable shapes, and when he pointed them out, Elder Lin showed a smug smile on his face.
After returning from Vietnam, Liu Qingbang, Zhang Dening and I often met with Mr. Lin, and Jing Ze sometimes joined in. Qingbang would always bring a bottle of wine with him for a drink with Mr. Lin. Mr. Lin is always a man of great wisdom. As he grows older, his words become more subtle and subtle. Now I really regret that I didn’t write down those words accurately—it is the extremely rich inner world of a great writer, and it is also a treasure house of Chinese literature. It is a rare treasure (fortunately, Mr. Cheng Shaoguo’s “Lin Jinlan Talk” has been handed down to the world).
Mr. Lin is very particular about writing, and on the way to Zhangjiajie, he said something that I will never forget. He said that there should be three criteria for judging the quality of novels: the first is words, the second is artistic feeling, and the third is imagination. I have said this passage to many friends, and it has also become a requirement for my own writing.
He has almost strict requirements on his own writing, and the older he gets, the more he demonstrates his outstanding skills. His short stories are so precise that a single word cannot be deleted. There are profound metaphors behind each of his “Affairs of the Low Bench Bridge” series, and the novel called “The Stream Eel” is even more wonderful. I once applied for a topic at the China TV Drama Production Center, and I wanted to adapt the works of several famous writers into a series of TV series, and the first one was “The Stream Eel”.
Mr. Lin’s guidance and support to the younger generation is even more admirable-as early as the early 1990s, he talked to me about Tie Ning’s “Stack of Wheat Straw” and Liu Qingbang’s “The Walking Man”. Later, Liu Qingbang really entered the literary world because of “The Walking Kiln Man”. It can be said that Lin Lao is not only Qingbang’s Bole, but also has the grace to rebuild him.
In 1994, when the seminar on the first edition of my novel “Dunhuang Last Dream” was held, Mr. Lin came and was the first to give a speech, which I have kept to this day. He said: “Xiaobin is the best at coming up with new tricks. This novel is written in a very different way. Now there is a word called ‘international conformity’. I think Xiaobin’s novel has a sense of international conformity.” This is the first time I’ve heard the term “internationally connected”. Ten years later, in 2004, “Princess De Ling” held a work seminar. Mr. Lin, who had just been discharged from the hospital, attended the meeting again after rejecting several activities, and was still the first to speak. He said that he once wrote a preface for a series launched by the Beijing Writers Association, and the female writer who “does nothing” and “fantasies” in it refers to Xiaobin. He said it very humorously, and all the critics present laughed. He said that these two words are somewhat derogatory in themselves, but here they are praised: “Doing nothing” gives him the feeling that he does not explain foreign thoughts, does not follow the trend, talks about her own, and is not influenced by the outside world; “Fantasy” means that she left The road is a subjective road. “Beijing’s novels are always realistic and subjective, and there are few subjective ones. Writing subjective ones involves people’s understanding and incomprehension. Recently, she wrote “Princess De Ling” I think it can resonate, and this road can bring something unique to people.” Mr. Lin’s praise made me tremble with fear, but at the same time, I was inexplicably grateful.
However, the last time Liu Qingbang, Zhang Dening and I saw Mr. Lin, he was uncharacteristically and stopped talking. It was a cold day, and we kept talking, as usual, and he didn’t say a word. Finally, I couldn’t help asking: “Why don’t you talk today?” He was silent for a long time, and said slowly: “I feel like I am slowly saying goodbye to this world.” I was startled at the time, A chill slowly rose, chilling to the bone.
Lin Jinlan, a great sage, already had a premonition that his life was coming to an end, but the wonderful life of this “meditating old tree elf” (Huang Ziping’s words) has fully demonstrated the highest value of life as a writer and a human being—isn’t it Value judgments from the secular world are a kind of light, which will illuminate those writers and artists who pursue purity in later generations, and bring inner warmth to those who are persistently moving forward.
“Guangming Daily” (version 06, June 23, 2023)
[
责编：孙宗鹤 ]